Having brought down this history to the period, when an attempt was made to afford some sort of civil government to Newfoundland, I shall make a short pause in the narrative; and call the reader’s attention to some few documents, that will more strongly impress upon his mind the actual state of things in that island, and the pressing necessity there was for the interposition of the parliament, or of the executive government, to correct abuses, and establish some sort of regular authority. I have before given a particular account of the enormities subsisting within three years after passing Stat. 10 & 11 Will. 3, from a letter written by a person then confided in by the government at home; I mean Mr. Larkin[35]. It is very plainly to be collected, from the representation made by that gentleman, that this statute was ineffective and inadequate from the very beginning. What is inapplicable in its origin, is not likely to become more useful in a course of time. It will be found, in fact, that in all the time that elapsed between passing that act, and the year 1729, disorder and anarchy increased more and more; and nothing remained but to try another system. The documents I shall produce will be extracts from the correspondence and communications made by the commodores and commanders on the Newfoundland station, to the board of trade. In these it will be seen, what was the nature of the disorders and irregularities committed in the island; and it will appear how very inadequate was the authority and jurisprudence conferred by the statute of King William, and how ill the authority and jurisdiction so given, was administered. [Sidenote: Disorders in Newfoundland, and conduct of the fishing admirals during this period.] One of the correspondents writes in this manner.—“The admirals which are appointed by the Newfoundland act, to decide differences, in relation to fishing-rooms, &c. have entirely neglected it in all its parts. Indeed, at their first arrival, they claim their prerogative, as by the said act, as far as it suits with their own interest and no further; except a particular friend of theirs should arrive with a fishing ship; in such case should the ships fishing rooms of that harbour be taken up before he arrives, they often remove some planter or other for him, pretending that the planter’s title is not good to the room he possesses, when the commanders of men of war, some years before, adjudged it to be the said planter’s right.”